Facing Your Heart
by Lynns
Summary: Continuation to Let's Take it Slow and When It Rains, final installment. Forced to face her feelings Sakura confronts Naruto about how she feels for him . . . how will Naruto react?


Series: Naruto, belongs to Kishimoto-Sama

Pairing: NaruHina

Beta: Narai Moroha

Author: Lynns (Inu-Hugger and Mysteriousgirl)

**Facing Your Heart**

"Alright, Sakura, spill it!" hissed Ino, nudging her friend back to reality.

"Wha-What?" asked Sakura, clutching her side.

"You've been spacing out constantly for the past three months, barely eating at times, and half the time you look like you're going to cry! What the heck is going on?"

Sakura sighed, pulling the white sheet that she was washing out of the river and hanging it on the clothes line.

"Well?" asked Ino, sounding more aggravated than before.

"It's nothing really. I've just had a lot on my mind, that's all . . . you know, with Sasuke and . . ."

"Liar. Both you and Naruto looked like you lost your souls there for a few days, but he seems to be fine and dandy," Ino sighed softly. "I thought we were friends, Sakura. You know you can tell me anything, right?"

Sakura was about to respond, but movement in the distance caught her attention. A group from the Hyuuga clan was making their way back on what appeared to be a very successful hunting trip.

_Looks like deer meat is on the menu for tonight for the Hyuuga clan_. She stiffened slightly as she caught sight of Hinata who was in a deep conversation with her cousin.

Ino noticed immediately, her eyes darting back and forth between Hinata and Sakura. What the heck had the Hyuuga Heiress done to make Sakura look so rigid? Suddenly, it came to her. "Are you jealous of Hinata?"

Sakura spun around so fast she almost knocked down the sheet she had just cleaned. "What? Oh, come on, Ino. That's silly!"

But the look in Sakura's eyes could not fool Ino. Sighing she finished washing her sheet, hung it up on the line, and grabbed Sakura by the hand.

"We are going to talk - now!"

***************

Tsunade smiled as she watched the Hyuugas deposit the five deer bodies into the food tent to be butchered for tonight's meal. "Good work, all of you."

"It was nothing, Hokage-sama; quite the easy hunt for us," commented Koh.

"You are all dismissed for today. Tomorrow the supplies will arrive, and you can start building the Hyuuga estate," announced Tsunade. "Finally, we can start the actual rebuilding of the village."

The past three months had been mostly clean up, taking down of the outer wall that had surrounded Konoha, and trying to come up with the architectural plan. Now that everything was in order, it was time to actually start building.

Bowing to the Hokage, all the Hyuuga turned to take leave.

"Oh, Hinata, can you come here for a second," smiled Tsunade, watching the Hyuuga Heiress turn around with a curious look on her face.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?"

Still smiling, Tsunade leaned forward to whisper in Hinata's ear. "_He_ will be back tonight from his mission."

A soft blush touched her cheeks along with a smile. "Thanks, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade nodded, laughing softly as Hinata caught up with her clan and almost ran into Neji. Sighing softly, she returned to her office, which was currently one of the larger tents in the area. Kakashi was already in there waiting for her.

"Feeling like your old self again?"

The ninja nodded. "But making me not take any missions for two months was a little over the top, Tsunade-sama."

"Nonsense. I haven't been accepting a lot of missions since we need everyone here to help with the village. Not to mention I figured you needed a well deserved break, and we still need some reliable ninjas in case we are attacked."

"I understand. So then I take it the ones on missions right now will be back soon?"

"Yes, with all the lumber we have collected and the supplies coming in from the Sand village we can finally start rebuilding."

"So, why is it that you wished to speak with me, Tsunade-sama?"

"In all honesty, it's based on a personal issue."

Kakashi tilted his head to the side, perplexed. "Pardon?"

"It's about Sakura. She's been acting stranger than usual, and I'm trying to figure out what's going on with her. Not concentrating on her work, constantly making mistakes, and most of the time in her own little world. Even with her as my apprentice I've never seen her like this, so I figured since you were her team leader maybe you would have some idea."

The copy-ninja stared at the Hokage, wondering if she was actually being serious or pulling his leg. He had also noticed Sakura's strange behavior, but for him to be asked the reason behind it... "Ah, no, Tsunade-sama, I do not know what is wrong with her."

Tsunade sighed softly. "Well, I'm hoping she snaps out of it soon."

**************

A good distance away from the village and high up in one of the tallest trees, Ino decided this was as good a place as any for a private conversation. She was determined to find out what was wrong with Sakura, even if it meant beating it out of her best friend. Minutes passed, and Sakura still remained silent with her eyes finding the branch beneath her very interesting.

Sighing softly, Ino tried to at least get the conversation going. "You know - I'm a bit jealous of Hinata too."

"Y-You are?" asked Sakura.

"I mean come on! Out of all the kunoichi, her curves are to die for! I swear, I think there's some secret in the Hyuuga family for having a nice chest because Hanabi also..."

Sakura frowned and once again went back to staring at the branch.

Ino sighed in frustration. "Okay that's not why you're upset, but come on, Sakura! You've got to snap out of it! It's been close to three months since you've been acting all mopey! I mean... if I didn't know better I'd say you were jealous of Hinata for going out with Naruto!"

She was met with silence, and it shocked her. Ino had been expecting Sakura to go into denial and call her crazy for thinking that she would be jealous of Hinata for that. Hell, she had been half joking when she said it, hoping to get a rise out of her. But Sakura's silence confirmed what she had just jested.

"Whoa…wait… Sakura, are you serious?" She sat down right beside her friend, placing a hand Sakura's shoulder.

"If… If I tell you the truth… will you promise not to tell anyone else?"

"Of course I will, Sakura! I promise I won't tell anyone!"

Sakura laughed softly, "You sure you can keep that promise? Usually you're the one spreading all the gossip around the village."

"Only if it's an important topic though! I mean come on, you got to admit that Naruto finally dating someone is big enough news to get written in the paper and . . ." Ino immediately shut her mouth.

Another sigh left her lips, and Sakura clasped her hands in front her. "I never thought of him as more than a friend – maybe even like the brother I never had . . . but this, I never even thought about it until I saw him and Hinata."

Ino shifted closer, wrapping an arm around Sakura's shoulders for support. "Are you sure you're not just jealous of him being with somebody? I mean, maybe it's not him that you actually like."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for the longest time, all of his attention was focused on you. Even if it did annoy you, deep down I'm sure you liked him always asking you out. You liked the attention you were getting from him, but now . . . you see him with Hinata. You see the way he looks at her, and you wish that was the way someone would look at you."

Sakura shook her head. "I've already taken that into consideration, but it's more than that."

Ino's eyes widened. "Wait, so does that mean you're really…?"

"Yeah. I was mostly trying to catch Sasuke's attention, but over these past few years with him gone, Naruto . . . he grew on me, sort of snuck into my heart without even noticing."

They were silent for a moment, both watching the sun slowly starting to set in the distance. Ino finally interrupted the silence. "So, what do you plan to do?"

"I really don't know…"

"Well . . . I think you should tell him!"

"What?! I can't possibly do that! Naruto and Hinata are together!"

Ino smiled and pulled her friend closer, "Of course you can. I mean, they are only dating right now; nothing serious is going on between them! What if he really does have feelings for you? Maybe they are stronger than his feelings are for Hinata?"

"Ino! I simply can't…"

"And why not? You'll never know if you don't tell him! If he does reject you, though, then you'll know it's something that wasn't meant to happen between you two. Then you can move on instead of staying where you are at right now. You can't keep thinking of 'What if' situations or 'What could have been' because it's getting you nowhere, Sakura. So you either need to step up and confront him or step down and move on. You can't just stay stuck in the middle!"

_Can I really do that? Could I really ask him if he . . . likes me back? But Ino is right . . . I can't stay like this forever! I've got to get a fricken grip . . . geez, I'm surprised Tsunade hasn't hit me one upside the head yet._

"He is coming back tonight from a mission with Sai and Yamato-sensei. You should corner him after he reports to Tsunade," suggested Ino.

"I'll think about," replied Sakura.

As they watched the sun finally set, Sakura somehow felt better than she had in a long time.

**********************

"So no troubles then?" asked Tsunade.

"Nope, easy as pie!" smirked Naruto. Sai and Yamato nodded in agreement as they passed her their reports.

"Good to hear. I'm sure by now you've heard of what's going to be happening over the next few weeks?"

"Finally we can actually start rebuilding Konoha! I got to say sleeping in a tent isn't . . ."

"Would you rather be sleeping on the cold ground with no shelter, Naruto?" questioned Tsunade. "Or perhaps you would like to stay in the hospital with the rest of the patients?"

Seeing Tsunade crack her knuckles, Naruto shut up immediately.

"You are all dismissed."

The three ninja left without another word.

"Idiot," mumbled Tsunade but soon smiled. "If he ever becomes Hokage, it could mean our doom."

Outside, Naruto and his team went their separate ways. Being away for a week, he suddenly had a huge craving for ramen, and he knew exactly who he wanted to join him.

Moments later, he found himself outside of the area where the Hyuuga clan had pitched their humongous tents. It surprised him how much Hinata's father never really said anything about him and her actually spending more time together, but sometimes he would catch a glare from the Head.

_Of course, I can't count the last time I brought her home . . . thought I was dead there for a moment._

If anybody, Neji had been the best sport out of them all, but, of course, he did get the one death threat that if he ever hurt Hinata . . . his body would never be found.

"Um, Naruto?"

Naruto jumped slightly from hearing his name being called and turned around to find himself almost nose to nose with Sakura. "Whoa!"

Sakura gasped as he jumped away from her and ended up hitting the back of his head on a low branch, falling to the ground.

"Naruto, are you okay?" asked Sakura.

"Ow…" mumbled Naruto, rubbing the back of his head while his face was buried in the grass, "Yeah, Sakura-chan, I'm okay . . . what are you doing here?"

Sakura winced and tried to come up with an answer.

"Not that I'm not glad to see you or anything . . . but I've never seen you around this area before. You looking for Hinata or Neji?"

"Uh…" Sakura started to fiddle around with her hands. "No, actually…I was looking for you."

Naruto stopped rubbing the back of his head and jumped to his feet. "Looking for me? Is something wrong? Come to think of it you have been acting strange for a while now. Want to tell me what's going on? I'm all ears!"

"I'd like that, Naruto."

"Do you want to talk it over ramen? I was going to ask Hinata, but if you want to we can go instead, and I can meet up with her later."

Sakura blushed. "Ah, actually, I was thinking if we could go somewhere private…alone."

"Hmm, that bad, huh? Alright, where do you want to go?"

Smiling Sakura grabbed his hand, and with out saying a word lead him off deeper into the forest. Her cheeks reddened at the thought of holding his hand, but there was still a slight sting at the fact he wasn't holding hers back. As the two disappeared into the trees, Neji stepped out of his hiding place. His eyes locked onto where they had disappeared.

_I wonder what Sakura's up to?_

"Yo, Neji!"

The Hyuuga turned around to see Kiba and Shino walking towards him. "Good evening."

Kiba's smile turned into a frown as his eyes turned in the direction where Naruto and Sakura had gone off into the forest. "So what's going on?"

"I don't know yet, but I'm certainly going to find out."

"Keh, I know you don't really trust Naruto that much when it comes to him being closer with our teammate, but you need to relax a little."

"I don't think Naruto's the one he's worried about," commented Shino.

"I know what she plans to do," sighed Neji, starting to follow after them.

"What? You're going to spy on them?" asked Kiba, rather stunned.

"Spy? Really, you think I would sink so low and do something like that? I'm just merely going to observe."

Laughing softly Kiba followed after him. "Well then, allow me to help you 'observe' as well."

Shino didn't say anything, instead he continued on his way into the Hyuuga area to find Hinata.

"Thanks for distracting Hinata for us Shino!" called Kiba, waving at his team mate.

"You could keep your voice down just a little," whispered Neji, picking up the pace a bit after activating his Byakugan. The two ninja jumped from tree to tree, using all of their stealth techniques so they would not be noticed.

"So what's the deal with Sakura anyway? She's been acting strange since-"

"Since Hinata and Naruto started seeing more of each other . . . I'm sure you can piece together what that means," Neji whispered.

"But that's ridiculous! He's been asking her out since we were genin, and she's always found him so annoying! Even after he returned from his training, she . . ."

"You ever heard of the saying 'you don't realize how precious something is until it's taken away**'?"**

Kiba was silent for a moment. "So…what? Naruto starts paying attention to Hinata, and Sakura realizes she actually likes him that way?"

"Exactly."

A soft growl escaped his throat. "And she plans to tell Naruto she likes him then?"

"You got another reason she's dragging him off into the forest…alone?"

"Well, how do you think Naruto's going to react? If he lets Hinata go to be with Sakura, I'll beat his ass, then beat him some more until-"

"You will do no such thing!" hissed Neji. "With your temper, you'll leave evidence; if I do it, no one would ever know."

Kiba tried to keep his laugh quiet. "Protective of your little cousin, huh? That's a nice change."

Neji finally came to a halt and leapt into the nearest tree, quickly followed by Kiba, "Close enough now. I'll watch them; can you hear what they are saying?"

Closing his eyes, Kiba listened. Concentrating, he blocked out all other sounds and finally heard Sakura's voice.

"So your mission went well then?"

"It was fairly easy, just had to deliver a scroll," said Naruto, taking a seat on the rock next to him. "So, what's on your mind? Everyone's been worried about you; at first, we thought you were sick or something. Does this have to do with Sasuke?"

Sakura's face fell slightly, her eyes drifting down to the ground. "No… you see… it has to do . . . with something . . . that happened…"

"Eh? Sorry, Sakura-chan, can you speak up?"

Her mouth opened but still he couldn't hear anything. Frowning, he stood up and walked towards her. "Sakura-chan, if you don't speak up then I can't hear-"

Sakura's head lifted up, and the look that she gave him made Naruto stop in his tracks, his eyes widening with shock. A soft pink blush covered her cheeks, and her eyes . . . the only way he could best describe them was that they were identical to the way Hinata always looked at him. Before he could say a word, Sakura took a step closer to him, placing her hands on his shoulders and closing her eyes as she leaned up to kiss him.

_His lips are so close to mine, so close I can feel his breath against mine . . ._

Naruto suddenly grabbed Sakura by the waist and pushed her away, their lips had only been a centimeter apart. She stumbled backwards, almost tripping over her own feet. Naruto backed away so that there was some distance between them, his mind racing, trying to sort through what had almost just happened.

Kiba had been ready to pounce, but Neji held him back. "He stopped her, don't worry!"

Sakura looked back up at Naruto who looked pale as ghost - scared and confused, almost as if she were to take a step forward he would run away. Tears pooled in her eyes, head dropping down as her hands came up and clenched against her chest.

"S-Sakura-chan?"

"I-I'm sorry, Naruto . . ." she cried out. "I-I just…I wanted to tell you that I – that I . . ."

Naruto didn't move, his eyes widening even further if that was possible.

"I – I like you, Naruto, I really do like you!"

His face became even paler, and if Neji didn't know any better he was afraid the blond ninja was going to pass out.

"You know, I think it's safe to go now, Neji. I really don't think Naruto will…"

"Quiet…"

Sakura tried to gather her thoughts, "I never noticed until that night at the hospital when you and Hinata were talking in the tree and . . ."

That got Naruto's attention. "Wait, what?! How did you know about that? No one was . . . no, wait. The window wasn't fully opened when I took Hinata back into the hospital, but it was when I brought her into her room . . ." Realization dawned on his face. She had been watching them, spying on him!

"I'm sorry! I went to check on Hinata, and she was gone! I was about to go look for her, but then I heard voices outside. I saw the two of you, and I just couldn't pull myself away . . . I'm sorry for eavesdropping."

"Sakura-chan . . ."

"And then two weeks later, I saw the two of you again together! You and I, we were both so miserable about hearing what had happened to Sasuke, and I couldn't find anything to say or do to cheer you up. But then Hinata came along and you – you started smiling again and were your old self!"

Naruto could no longer look her straight in the eye, his eyes shifting to the ground. "You've been spying on me?"

Sakura shook her head. "Not intentionally! I've just happened to stumble upon you two a few times, but instead of walking away like a normal person would . . ." She really started to cry now, her body wracking with sobs. "I'm so sorry, Naruto! You constantly asked me out ever since we were kids, and I never really noticed you until you promised to bring Sasuke back! After that I slowly, slowly started to like you more than just a teammate . . . more than a friend, and you got under my skin without me knowing it . . ."

Naruto didn't say anything, so she continued.

"I know that you're seeing Hinata, but I had to tell you! Ino finally brought me to my senses that I should let my feelings out." Wiping the tears with the back of her hand, she started walking towards Naruto. He didn't run from her, but his eyes remained on the ground. "I like you, Naruto, I really do . . ."

The Jinchuuriki didn't even move or react when Sakura wrapped her arms around him, resting her cheek against his chest. Sakura waited and waited for him to say something, anything, but she heard nothing.

"Please, say something, Naruto . . . please tell me what you're thinking . . ."

Naruto still didn't say a word as he took a step back, gently putting his hands on Sakura's shoulders and pushing her away. Sakura looked up, but he wouldn't meet her gaze. His hands remaining on her shoulders, he took in a deep breath before speaking. "I liked you back then, because both of us wanted to be acknowledged by others: you wanted to be noticed by Sasuke, and I wanted to be recognized by you and everyone in the village, but especially you."

He spoke barely above a whisper, so Sakura didn't dare interrupt or make a sound and just listened to his words. The sorrow in his voice made her heart break as she was the main cause behind it.

"You were so pretty and talented, and I wanted you to acknowledge me so much that it hurt. I tried to cover it up by acting cool and tough all the time, but deep down it hurt so much sometimes it was unbearable."

Tears once again pooled in her eyes, and she could see that tears threatened to overtake his eyes as well.

"When we were placed on the same team, I was so happy! For a full five seconds I was the happiest guy in the world! But then Iruka-sensei announced that Sasuke would be with us as well. I knew – I knew you loved him and that I was just simply an annoyance to you. But I kept trying to win your heart…heh, you know me - I never like to give up."

Sakura couldn't even make a small laugh at his joke, not while tears were pouring down his face._ Have I really hurt him like this? This pain in my chest . . . is that what he felt every time I called 'Sasuke-kun' and looked at Sasuke-kun rather than him?_

"Unbeknownst to me, there was someone who did acknowledge me. She really wanted to be my friend and play with me but was too shy to approach me. I always thought of her as weird, plain, and dark - could never figure her out. I never realized how she acted around me . . . was almost the same way you acted around Sasuke."

Neji closed his eyes and deactivated his Byakugan. "I think it's safe to go now. Naruto's a level headed guy and is doing the right thing."

"Oh sure, now you say that . . ." mumbled Kiba under his breath. The two ninjas left silently, giving their friends a private moment which they could only assume would involve more tears.

"I always acted tough around you and never dropping my guard, even though you were my teammate, someone I wanted to get to know me better. But the first person I actually really let my guard down in front of was her . . ."

Sakura flinched slightly and started to clue in on where this was going. _So he no longer has feelings for me? I was too late . . ._

"Both of us . . . we were called losers and failures and always wanted to prove others wrong that we could change! So we always got up to try again!"

"Naruto . . ."

"Even though we were the same, I saw right through her and always looking your way, waiting for you to notice me. You and I got closer through missions and the chuunin exam and I was so happy when you cheered for me against Kiba. I knew, deep down that you would never see me that way . . . and that your heart would always belong to Sasuke. I knew that when I made you that promise and I still intend to keep it . . . I will bring Sasuke back!"

"Naruto, I . . ."

"Even after I got back from training with Ero-sennin for three years . . . I thought maybe you had gotten over Sasuke and would look my way . . . but you didn't. Deep down, I still yearned for you, but when Pain attacked the village and Hinata came charging in like that . . ."

"Naruto, please . . ." whispered Sakura, trying to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"I inspired her! My smile saved her and changed who she was! She was the first person to ever say 'I love you'to me. Hinata and I have . . ." he paused for a minute, releasing one hand on her shoulder to wipe his eyes, "I've been so happy with her, the happiest I've been in a long time. The last time I remember being this happy is when I finally became a ninja. Sakura, I have to admit that deep down a part of me is just jumping for joy since I finally know that you really do like me back, but . . ." His eyes closed. It seemed like almost yesterday as he remembered what had transpired between Hinata and him before he left . . .

_**His heart was racing so fast it almost felt like it was going to burst out of his chest. His hands trembled slightly as they rested against Hinata's hips while one of hers was resting lightly on his shoulder and the other softly caressing his cheek.**_

"_**It's not a dangerous mission right?" asked Hinata, her eyes shifted from following her fingers to look into his blue eyes.**_

_**Naruto shook his head. "No, it's really simple. We just have to deliver a scroll, but Tsunade-baachan is being extra cautious and adding more people to the mission just to be safe."**_

"_**Makes sense."**_

_**Naruto let out the breath that he didn't know he was holding, not sure what to do when they were close like this. Sure, they had been holding hands and even pecking each other on the cheek when saying goodnight, but what came after that? In all honesty, he didn't know. Silently, he cursed himself for not paying more attention to his sensei's books; maybe they could have prepared him for this. What had started out as a simple walk in the forest and holding hands had come to him now leaning against a tree and Hinata very much in his personal space.**_

_**Her eyes remained on his, until they slightly moved down to his lips. He felt a shiver run up his body as Hinata leaned closer to him.**_

"_**Naruto-kun," she whispered softly. Her eyes closed, and her lips came closer to his.**_

_Is she . . . is she really going to . . . .? __**His heart was beating faster than before, and he suddenly forgot how to breathe, but then . . . **_

"_**Do you want me to stop?" **_

_**With every word she whispered he could feel her breath against his skin, causing another shiver to run down his spine which caused his eyes to close half way. Forgetting to actually think, Naruto closed the gap between them. It was something he had never experienced before – except the one time with Sasuke, but he had been so disgusted by it and tried to banish the thought from his mind. **_

_**Hinata's lips were soft, warm, wet and felt amazing against his own. He could feel her breathing through her nose and the caresses her hand made against his cheek. She looked so peaceful with her eyes closed and the light blush on her cheeks. Over the past three months, her blushes had lessened around him.**_

_**The contact ended all too soon as Hinata slightly pulled away, eyes opening halfway to look into his. Fingers that had been caressing his cheek trailed down to move across his lips, and she could feel his hot breath against the tips. Both of them were breathing fast, pondering about the new step they had just taken.**_

_**Naruto realized that he wanted it again – he wanted to feel her lips on his again.**_ "_**Hinata . . ." he whispered, hands that had remained on her hips moved up to her back, pulling her to him. **_

_**Her own hands moved away from his face and onto his chest, and she could feel his heart pounding against her fingertips. The blush on her cheeks increased in color as she once again closed her eyes; he kept his open. Again, the mysterious shiver returned to his body as their lips reconnected. His eyes remained half closed, wanting to see her peaceful face as they kissed but also wanting to make sure that this was real - that he was really kissing her! Just when he was getting used to the feeling of their lips pressed together, he gasped when Hinata's lips move against his own, caressing them. Another shiver ran over his entire body, and he liked it . . . he liked that feeling and wanted more.**_

_**Hearing his gasp, Hinata pulled away again, her eyes not able to meet his as she stuttered, "I r-really don't know w-what I'm doing . . ."**_

_**Naruto laughed softly. "Neither do I, but I do know one thing . . ."**_

_**The blush increased on her cheeks from the hooded look he was giving her and the slight huskiness that had taken over his voice. Leaning forward so that his back was no longer against the tree and with quick maneuvering, he switched their positions.**_

"_**I don't want to stop . . ." he whispered, hands braced against the tree as he leaned into her.**_ _**A small gasp escaped her lips before they were covered by his again.**_

_**The night passed on, but time seemed to stand still for them as they experimented and enjoyed this new contact.**_ _**He would never forget the small whimpers that she had made when his hands caressed her neck. Or the way he could feel and hear her heart pounding as fast as his, knowing he was the only one that made her feel this way.**_

_**It was burned into Hinata's mind when her fingers had found their way into his blond spikes. The way his body had shivered and the sound that had escaped his lips made her shiver with delight.**_

_**They continued kissing throughout the night until it hurt to do so, both of their lips red and puffy from the continuous contact. **_

_**Naruto kept his head buried against her neck, shifting to breathe in the smell of her hair while her hands traced circles on his back. No words were spoken between the two, but nothing needed to be said. They were content with just listening to the sounds of the night, the other's heartbeats, and the slowing down sound of their breathing.**_

_**Never before had he felt this way before . . . this feeling of contentment and acceptance. feeling wanted and needed . . .**_

_I never want this feeling to go . . . I've already had a taste of what it feels like and to lose it now . . ._

_**All too soon, Naruto had to break the silence, "We should get back. Tsunade-baachan will be mad if she hears I slept in because I was out all night,"**_

_**Hinata nodded, knowing full well she didn't want to have an ill-tempered father to deal with.**_

(A/N: THEY WERE ONLY KISSING LIP TO LIP . . . NO MAKING OUT, OR ANYTHING DIRTY SO GET YOUR MINDS OUT OF THE GUTTER)

Blue eyes reopened to meet Sakura's gaze. "What I feel for Hinata is more than what I ever felt for you . . . more than I will ever feel towards you . . ."

Sakura stepped back, her eyes leaving his and back to the safe zone of the ground. She could no longer look into his intense blue eyes, knowing that every word he had just said was the truth.

"Sakura-chan . . ."

"It's okay, Naruto, really it is. I'm glad that you told me the truth."

"I'm sorry . . ."

She shook her head. "You have nothing to apologize for. I'm the one who . . ."

Turning around she wiped the remaining tears from her eyes. Even though she felt crushed that she had lost Naruto, she also felt relieved as well for letting him know her feelings. Silence fell over them. He stared at her back, and she gazed up at the starry sky.

"You should get going. I'm sure Hinata has been waiting to see . . ."

"I know, but, Sakura-chan, are you going to be . . ."

Sakura whipped around to face him, a soft smile on her lips. "I'll be fine! I just really needed to get this off my chest and now that I have, I feel much better."

Naruto frowned slightly, knowing he was the cause of the pain behind her eyes.

"I want to thank you for being completely honest with me . . ."

"Sakura-chan . . ."

"Go! I know you want to see her too . . ."

After a slight hesitation Naruto started to head back, a soft '_I'm sorry_' could be heard as he passed her before breaking into a run. Sakura turned as she watched his retreating back. Once again she was alone, but it was a different feeling from all the other times. Deep down, she was very happy for Naruto. He had found someone who had seen who he really was since they were young children.

A few moments passed, and finally Sakura decided it was time to head back. Tomorrow would be different day . . .

*******************

Naruto raced back to where he had first run into Sakura, hoping that Hinata hadn't been waiting too long for him. His heart clenched slightly from the guilt he felt for telling Sakura the truth. Never had he ever expected that she had feelings for him. Perhaps had she confessed before the incident with Pain . . . Shaking his head as hard as he could, the thought was banished from his mind.

"Naruto-kun!"

Looking ahead, he saw Hinata. She was standing on a low tree branch and waving at him to catch his attention. Breaking out into a great big grin he leapt towards her. In one jump, he reached the branch she was on and couldn't help himself when he engulfed Hinata in a hug, lifting her up into the air and spinning. The grin grew face as he heard her giggling in his ear, "You missed me that much?"

Naruto didn't say anything as he set her down but kept his face buried against her neck. Shivers ran up Hinata's body as she felt his hot breath against her sensitive skin. Before she could say a word, his lips were against her neck, and she could only manage a gasp.

The blond ninja smiled at her reaction and noted a small apology to Ero-Sennin when he had called his books boring and useless. During his mission he had had some free time to do some reading of his master's books. Feeling her body slightly trembling and the way she was gripping the sides of his jacket, he couldn't help but feel male pride burning through his body. Pulling away, he pecked her on the forehead and released her from his embrace. Hinata's face was beet red, and he couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his throat.

The previous event was washed from his mind, and all he could think about was the girl standing in front him. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving,"

Hinata nodded. "Ramen?"

Laughing softly, Naruto collected her hand in his as they jumped down from the tree. "Do you even need to ask?"

As they walked into the direction of Ichiraku's small temporary booth, a voice behind them stopped Naruto cold in his tracks.

"If she's out late again like last time . . ." called Neji, eyeing down the blond ninja.

Turning around slowly, Naruto looked into the eyes of Neji, Shino and Kiba, who weren't exactly glaring at him, but it wasn't a friendly stare either.

"Heh, I know, her father gave me a mouthful . . ."

"Oh, Hiashi-sama was quite generous the last time, but I will warn you if it happens again . . . well you have heard my threat before, and it still stands."

Sweating bullets, Naruto bobbed his head up and down that he understood perfectly and turned to continue his way onto Ichiraku's with Hinata.

The Hyuuga Heiress waved goodbye to her teammates and cousin before whispering to him, "Don't mind them! They're just acting like three big older brothers."

"Yeah . . . and I certainly wouldn't want to take all three of them on at once or your father for that matter!"

When they were out of visual and hearing range from their audience, Hinata turned and lightly kissed Naruto on the lips. "You shouldn't worry; I'll protect you from them."

Naruto couldn't help but smirk as suddenly pushed Hinata against the nearest tree, his lips dominating hers. Hands came up to grasp her hips while her arms wrapped around his neck.

When they pulled apart he whispered, "But who's going to protect you from me?"

Wanting to get even, Hinata grasped his shoulders and quickly spun him around, his back hitting the tree with a small thud. Instead of going for his lips, she returned the favor he had given her earlier. Naruto's eyes widened as he felt her lips against his neck, right above his pulse point. He almost didn't hear her whisper, "I-I think I can take c-care of myself."

Laughing softly, the two pulled apart and their hands intertwined again as they headed off to get ramen at Ichiraku's.

Naruto couldn't help but feel joy and happiness whenever he was around Hinata. His heart always felt lighter, and the more they were together, the more he could feel the scars from his past slowly fade away. It was true when he had told Sakura this was the happiest he had ever felt, and he would do anything – everything within his power to make sure this feeling never disappeared. Hell he would take Pain on with one hand tied behind his back if it came down to it.

"You never did finish telling me your stories from your training session with Jiraiya-sama."

"Oh, that's right! Let's see where was I? …Oh yes! So while the women chased Ero-Sennin out of the bath house, I was laughing so hard I could barely stand up. . ." Naruto continued, waving his arms and adding action to his stories.


End file.
